


To be Whole Again

by Kahlentavaal



Series: The Domenichi Directives [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, Mentions of PTSD, Mentions of past abuse, Panic Attacks, Past Sexual Abuse, Past Torture, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-28
Updated: 2016-09-09
Packaged: 2018-08-11 14:30:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7896271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kahlentavaal/pseuds/Kahlentavaal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When SHEILD falls and the Internet is flooded with information, someone closely linked to Steve's past is uncovered.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing, just borrowing them to play. Alex is mine though.
> 
> This is not beta'd so please be kind :)

The tunnel was dark, almost black save for the dim emergency light above the exit. A figure pushed his way down towards the closed door, he'd read the reports and studied the blueprints, he knew there was a lab on the other side of the door with a holding cell to one side. It was the occupant of the cell he was most interested in, if they had survived.

"All clear?" A female voice asked stopping next to him. He turned and looked at the woman, she was shorter than him, but still tall, her brown hair tied back and wearing practical combat wear.

"Check the door," 

She made quick work of the door, making sure there were no explosives rigged, she nodded at him and he opened the door and stepped into the lab. The lighting was still working and there was equipment everywhere. The woman fanned out to his left and was clearing the side rooms, he cleared the right before stopping in front of the cell he knew he'd find. The front was clear, probably a re-enforced polymer of some type, it was filthy, covered in dirt and grime that could only have come from years of disregard. He peered in, gun still raised, the cell was only 6ft by 8ft, at least that's what the blueprints had told him, looking in it looked slightly smaller. There was a cot on the floor and hanging from the wall was a chain. The man had to rub away some of the dirt before he could see what was at the end of the chain. Lying on the floor with the left wrist shackled was a young woman, she was wearing what looked like they used to be scrubs of some kind, but they too were filthy.

"Hill, over here," he called to the woman. Maria Hill walked over and wrinkled her nose at the state of the cell,

"We need to get it open," she stated as she checked around the door for an access point, there wasn't one. She moved to the workstations and tried to boot up one of the computers, 

"Sir, is there anyway to get in, like a slot for food or water?" She asked, the man, a tall, bald black man with an eye patch looked over the door carefully

"Nothing," 

"Fury, look at this," Hill said directing his attention to the computer screen. There were detailed logs, thousands of them, all numbered with the year, that went back decades.

"They can't all be about her," Fury stated somewhat confused. Maria tapped at the keyboard and found the first record. She opened it and it had a picture of a young woman with black hair and startling green eyes, she was dressed in a military uniform and had her hair tied back in a neat bun, she was smiling at the camera. "Is that right?!"

"The year says 1944, that can't be the girl in the cell," Maria said shocked.

"Download it, and find the door release,"

The next ten minutes went by in silence save for the clicking of the keys on the computer, Maria pulled the drive from the computer and finally managed to trigger the door release. Fury walked over slowly and pulled the door the rest of the way open. The figure on the floor didn't move, he walked over and placed his fingers on her neck, searching for what he hoped was there. He finally found a pulse, slow and ragged, as he moved his hand away she began to stir. As soon as she realised there was someone else in the room, she panicked. She pushed herself up and away from him as far as the shackle would allow, she pressed herself into the corner of the cell by the cot. 

"Hey, hey, it's ok," he said shifting back onto his knees, he crossed his legs at the ankle and sat back, "I won't hurt you,"

She didn't move from where she had hidden her face against the wall, she was making herself as small as possible, Fury could see she was petrified by him. Maria approached from behind him and tapped him on the shoulder with a water bottle, he took it from her and turned his attention back to the girl. "Are you thirsty, I have water," he held it out to her. She didn't move, but Fury continued to hold it out to her, he cracked the lid to show her it was a new bottle. The first sign of her moving was a shift in her hair, it was long, tangled and raggedy looking, he watched as she turned just enough to see if he was telling the truth, he held a breath as he saw the green eyes he had just been looking at in the file. There was no two ways about it, it was the same woman, but he had no idea how she still looked like the 24 year old SSR recruit from the file. She lunged for his hand and grabbed the water from him

"Careful," Maria warned, "Sip it,"

The girl ignored her and took two massive gulps before dropping it to the floor. Fury shifted slightly as his knee began to protest and immediately she reacted and tried to disappear into the wall.

"We're here to help, we work for the SSR," Fury started, she turned her gaze on him sharply, "you've been here for an incredibly long time,"

He watched as she fingered the shackle, her thin wrist still to big to pass through the harsh metal. She looked at him carefully before looking over at Maria, he watch her as she cast her eyes over her uniform and both of their weapons. She took a deep breath...


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing except Alex. I also have 0 medical knowledge. So don't hate :)

"You're SHIELD?" She whispered 

"Yes," he replied, he heard Maria shuffle behind him, he would explain the details at another point, but trying to get this girl to trust him was more important than explaining the agency had fallen the week previously, she blinked rapidly and a tear rolled down her cheek, she then starting shaking her head,

"No, this is a test, you're not SHEILD." She sobbed. Maria walked out of the cell and began checking the desks and drawers before finding a set of keys.

"Sir, we don't have time, we'll be discovered," she explained as she handed him the keys. He took them and stood up, the girl began to panic and cried out as he moved towards her, he pushed her distress out of his mind and reached for her arm. She struggled against him as much as she could as he unlocked the shackle. She lunged for the door as soon as she was free but collapsed, unconscious from her weakened state. Fury picked her up bridal style and was shocked at how little she weighed, he didn't say anything but motioned towards the door they had entered through. Hill went first and within a few minutes they were back in the small Stark jet Maria had 'borrowed' from her new employer. He set the girl down gently on the med bed and strapped her in for takeoff.

"Stark ever finish that med suite he was building?" Fury asked

"Yep, fully staffed too," Maria replied as she sat in the pilots seat and began to run the pre flight as quickly as she could. Fury sat in the con pilots seat and pulled out a cellphone,

"Stark!" 

"Well, well. Mr Pirate Patch, what do you want this time? Seen Hill anywhere, I seem to have lost her," came the cocky reply of Tony Stark

"I need a favour," Fury started,

"I don't think so," Tony replied instantly

"It's not for me, I have a POW in need of urgent care," 

"What the hell are you talking about?" 

"A HYDRA prisoner left behind after the fall, she needs serious medical care, I can't drop her at a hospital," Fury explained

"I'll ready the team," Stark replied before cutting the call off. Maria had the plane in the air and turned, heading for New York. After 45 mins they were approaching Stark tower, she landed the plane expertly and began the shut down. Fury walked over to the girl, concerned she hadn't woken since the lab and lifted her up as the ramp descended. He walked down and placed her on the awaiting gurney and watched as she was swarmed by medical professionals.

"I have to go, keep me updated," Fury stated before disappearing into the elevator. Stark turned and looked at Maria

"We need a talk about boundaries, and about touching my stuff," he said petulantly,

"Trust me, you won't mind when you see the Intel," she responded. They rushed down to the med suite and watched through the window as the team surrounded the girl. The CMO was a short woman, with highlighted brown hair, she was previously Airforce, it seemed that Tony found most of his staff through retired military.

"Heart rate is slow and tachy, bp is 50, sats are at 83%," she yelled, "Get me a central line, I want blood panels, X-rays, the full works. Get me oxygen over here!"

Tony watched as the unit moved in sync with each other, he rarely needed to use the med suite but kept a full staff now, he didn't like hospitals and he definitely didn't want people he didn't know poking him with medical equipment. 

"I can't find a vein, she's too dehydrated," one of the nurses shouted. The CMO, Janet Fraser moved over and took the IV needle from the nurse and began to search for an entry spot, she slipped the needle into the girls hand and began moving it around for the vein, after a couple of attempts she managed to catch the vein. Another nurse was busy attaching electrodes to the various points in the girls chest and collar to get more accurate readouts. 

"Run the IV wide open, we need to get her fluids up. Have you got that central line in?"

"Yes Dr," came the reply as another nurse taped down the needle that was now in the girls collar. The pair watched in silence for several minutes, Maria turned to look at Stark and saw he genuinely felt bad for the girl, 

"Look, about the jet - " she started

"Forget it," he interrupted, "You said something about Intel?"

"Yeah, massive hard drive,"

"Then let's get to work, the Doc's gonna be hours yet I reckon,"

"Probably," she agreed, watching as the girls top was cut away to leave a sports bra underneath, it wasn't the girls state of undress that made Maria uncomfortable, it was the bruises, marks and scars that littered the girls skin, "We should go," she stated before marching off. Tony saw what she had seen and sighed, things like this reminded him of Afghanistan, which he definitely didn't want to be reminded of

"JARVIS, let me know when the Doc is finished,"

"Of course sir," came the disembodied voice of Tony's AI.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing except Alex

The pair spent the next three hours working on the records, they showed in great detail the abuse HYDRA had laid against the young agent, details of torture and abuse that Tony and Maria knew could have broken the girl. Finally Dr Fraser appeared in the doorway,

"We've managed to stabilize her, but she crashed out twice so we're not out of the woods yet. She's severely malnourished and dehydrated, I've got two line of fluids going in but it's going to take a long time to get her back to the correct weight. The X-rays show massive remodeling of her bones, she must have had dozens of breaks, she currently has three fractured ribs, there's quite a bit of damage to her right hip, possible dislocation that wasn't treated immediately and a stress fracture on the left wrist,"

"She was chained up by that wrist," Maria supplied, Dr Fraser nodded

"That would match the fracture, there is quite a lot of scarring there also, maybe later down the line we'll be able to address that. Her bloods show a multitude of drugs in her system, sedatives mainly but also a lot of things we're still trying to sort."

"She's been a captive for a long time doc," Stark added

"That makes sense with what we're seeing, there are scars and breaks that are consistent with torture methods, she's been beaten, as recently as two weeks ago, there is also quite a lot of evidence of sexual abuse," Janet finished sadly

"I'm sure they were trying to break her anyway they could," Maria answered dejectedly 

"What about the DNA?" Tony asked curiously

"It is a perfect match to the sample provided by Jarvis," 

"This is where we got the sample," Tony explained as he put Agent Domenichi's record up on the screen. Janet walked over and read the info, she spun round to face the pair before turning back to read again,

"That can't be right, the record must be flawed,"

"But the DNA matches," Maria countered, "The girl downstairs is in fact Alexandra Domenichi who happens to be 97 years old,"

Before anyone could answer Maria, Jarvis interrupted 

"Excuse me, Dr Fraser. The team reports your patient is de-stabilizing,"

"I have to go," Janet stated before running from the room. 

"When is Cap back?" Tony asked

"Tomorrow as far as I know,"

"J?"

"Captain Rogers is due back at the tower at 0800," the AI confirmed. Maria nodded absentmindedly 

"He'll definitely want to see her, we should call him down here before he catches wind of her,"

"He won't want to leave her," Tony agreed, "J, tell Cap to come here when he gets back," The AI acknowledged the request and they continued working late into the night sorting the records, HYDRA had been relentless, both in the abuse and torture, but also in the information they had been trying to obtain from her, Maria decided to call it a night and headed to the med suite to check in on their newest charge, Dr Fraser was still there,

"How's she doing doc?"

"She's stable for now, she hasn't crashed in three hours, so we're taking that as an improvement, but her body's exhausted," Janet admitted, Maria looked through the glass, Alexandra was curled up on her left side, with her left arm extended outwards, probably habit from it being shackled, she had multiple IV's and fluid bags hanging behind the head of the bed, she was covered with multiple blankets and Maria noticed a subtle shiver ripple through her body. The nurses had obviously cleaned her up a bit, her face was cleaner which showed just how pale she was and the lower half of her face was covered by an oxygen mask,

"Is she sedated or unconscious?" Maria asked

"We haven't administered any drugs, the bags are rehydration fluids and a protein heavy mix, but there are still traces of a ton of drugs in her system, when was the last time she was injected? Do you know?"

"The last day entered into the records was eight days ago, they don't mention drugging her but it could be she was drugged regularly to keep her compliant," 

"Possibly," Janet replied, "I don't expect her to wake until the morning, but we'll keep a full team on her throughout the night,"

"Thank you Dr," Maria said gratefully, "Let me know if I can help with anything,"

Maria slowly made her way back to her rooms, Stark may be cocky and arrogant but he was generous to a fault, every member of the avengers had their own floor in the tower, even though she only joined Stark days previously, she now had her own rooms and the free rein to decorate how she pleased. She quickly showered and dropped into bed, falling asleep immediately. Jarvis woke her at 0600 and she quickly got ready for the day, she met Tony in the main lab again and they continued to work through the files from the hard drive. There was a knock on the door and the pair looked up to see the blond hair, blue eyes of Captain Steve Rogers, enter the room and perch on one of the bar stools at the table,

"Hey,"

"Welcome back Rogers," Maria replied

"Spangles!" Tony cried, "Glad to be back?" 

"I wish you'd stop calling me that, but yes, I am glad to be out of the hospital," he admitted

"Need your help with something," Tony said whilst tapping on the computer, "Do you know this girl?"

Steve turned and looked at the screen, his mouth fell open in surprise and he turned, "That's Alex Domenichi, she went missing in '44, we never did find her,"

"We have now," Maria replied. Shock flicked across his face and then sadness,

"Where did you find the remains?"

"Remains? No we found the girl," Tony stated. 

"That's not possible, she can't be alive, that was more than 70 years ago," Steve protested.

"Jarvis, bring up the med suite,"

"Yes sir," the screen changed to show the girl lying on the gurney in the suite, there were still nurses in the room checking read outs and adjusting monitors. Steve stood up and ran his hands over his face, he let out a sigh,

"Tell me everything," he demanded

"When Natasha dumped all the SHIELD Intel on to the Internet, all of HYDRA's Intel went too. Fury contacted me yesterday to say he'd found a HYDRA base outside of Boston that being used for prisoner containment, they had buried the file well, it was sheer luck Fury found it at all." 

"Why did you go there?" 

"Ever since the fall, we've been able to see the fallout from the HYDRA bases, personnel evacuating, equipment being moved out etc, but there was nothing from this base. When we managed to dig up the details, it showed there was a prisoner there, we went to see if there was anything to recover, either Intel or personnel," Maria explained, "When we entered we found her in a cell,"

"This is crazy," Steve said looking at the screen, "How bad is she?"

"Not going to lie to you Steve, it's pretty brutal," Maria replied, 

"Can I see the file?" He queried, Tony handed him a tablet and he began to read, Maria watched as he got further into what they knew, his fist clenched before finally slamming his hand onto the table, "Damn them!"

Tony had stayed remarkably quiet throughout the whole explanation, "She's got a top team looking after her, the best," he finally stated, Steve turned to look at the billionaire and could see various emotions running over his face, he didn't comment on it but thanked him,

"Can I see her?"

"Course," Maria said waving him towards the door, Tony followed behind and they walked in silence until they reached the med suite, Dr Fraser saw them and came out to greet them,

"How's it going doc?" Tony asked

"She had a pretty stable night considering how she was coming in, she's close to waking, I reckon anytime soon," Janet explained

"Looks like you're right," Maria stated pointing back to the room, Alex was sitting bolt upright in the bed and looking around her wildly, she began to panic and pulled the oxygen mask off and pushed the blankets back in an attempt to get away, she was frantically pulling off the monitors and the machines behind her began to squeal at the loss of data.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing except Alex

Chapter 4

"Shit!" Janet cursed before running back in and trying to calm the girl,

"Steve, maybe you should try," Maria prompted. Deciding it couldn't hurt, Steve opened the door and entered,

"Alex? You gotta calm down," he started. She stopped suddenly and stared at him, he stepped forward and all hell broke loose,

"Steve Rogers is dead," she cried before trying to rip out the IV's, "You're HYDRA, this is a trick, Steve is dead!"

"Calm down, you're safe," Janet tried. As she went to stop her pulling another IV there was a faint crackling sound and the room watched as blue energy began to arc over her hands, "She's an enhanced!! Knock her down! Now!"

The room erupted as the nurses surged forward and tried to pin the girl to the bed, she cried and screamed as they held her, fortunately she still had the central line taped to her collar and Janet managed to drop a heavy duty sedative into the line, her protests became quieter and her fight weakened. Steve rushed forward and grabbed her hand, mindful of the blood and the wound where she'd pulled the IV

"It's ok Lex, I'm here, you're safe," he reassured, she cried silently and he watched the tears slow

"Steve died, you're not real," she repeated. Steve lifted her hand and placed it on his face,

"I am real, you're safe. I'll look after you Lex," he continued, she looked at him before finally something clicked

"Steve?" She asked drowsily, the sedative now coursing through her veins, 

"It's me, sleep. I'll stay with you,"

"Don't leave me. Please," she begged.

"I promise, sleep," 

She blinked several times before her breathing evened out and she was sleeping. The room breathed a collective sigh of relief, the nurses began to clear up the mess and Janet came over to reattach the IV's. She cleaned up Alexandra's hand before reinserting the IV in her wrist. They worked around the captain, reattaching monitors and oxygen, never asking him to move, Maria came in and stood by the bottom of the bed,

"Her recovery is going to be a hard road Steve. I know you weren't planning to stick around, but she could use a friend,"

"I'll stay," he replied after several minutes. He wanted to find Bucky, but Alex was in front of him now and she desperately needed help. The next couple of days passed in similar fashion, Alexandra would wake, see Steve and freak out needing to be knocked out again. On the third day she woke and just stared at him,

"Steve?"

"Lex?! I didn't see you wake,"

"You're real?" She asked, no matter how many time he told her, she still questioned whether he was really there,

"Promise,"

"Where am I?"

"New York City," he told her, her brow furrowed as she processed this bit of info, she looked around at the suite and the nurses, they were all waiting to see what would happen, she lifted one arm and saw the IV in her wrist, wild eyes turned to Steve but before she could do anything, he took that hand in his own and shushed her, "you're ok, they're doctors, good guys," 

"Get me out," she whispered

"You need to stay here Lex, you're not well,"

"They'll hurt me, doctors only hurt Steve, please get me out,"

"Go back to sleep, I promise I will ask," he assured her. She closed her eyes but he could tell she was far from asleep, her body held tension like one of Clint's bows, ready to spring when the opportunity arose. After a few minutes Janet Fraser walked in to check on her patient,

"How's she doing today? Has she woken?" She asked conversationally 

"About 5 minutes ago," he replied not mentioning the fact she was still awake, "She's wants out of the med suite,"

"I'd really like to keep her in, her ribs could destabilize," Janet frowned, she looked at Alexandra's face and noticed the small crinkle in her brow, "I can see she's awake,"

Steve tried to hide his grin when the doctor noticed, Alex opened her eyes and carefully looked at Janet, she still hadn't moved from her left side

"Can I leave?" She asked quietly

"Let's try and get some food in you first, I'd be a lot happier letting you out into the rest of the tower if you've eaten," Janet explained, "Jarvis, please can you get some plain toast sent through?" Before walking off to her desk. 

"Of course Doctor,"

Alex jumped at the unknown voice and looked round trying to find the source

"It's ok," Steve told her, "Jarvis is technology, he lives in the walls,"

"Artificial Intelligence?" She questioned, Steve looked at her surprised she knew what it was, "I've spent a lot of years listening,"

"You'll be more up to date than I am then," he chuckled,

"How are you here Steve? You look exactly the same," she asked, her eyes carefully looking over his face, taking in every detail, trying to find anything that was different,

"I could ask you the same! A couple of months after you'd been taken, we found Smidt's base, we'd managed to destroy all the others, his main one was the only one left. He had bombs loaded onto a plane, bombs fueled by tesseract technology. I managed to get on the plane, we fought, he lost but the controls were destroyed. I had to put the plane down over the Arctic. They tell me that the serum is the reason I survived the ice," he told her, 

"That's incredible, they told me you had died, that the plane crashed and there was nothing left," she admitted,

"Have you been state side the whole time?" Steve asked 

"No, Russia for a long time, at least forty years I think," she replied thinking about it, "I don't know how much time has passed, Steve, what year is it?" 

"2015,"

"Seventy one years!" She answered shocked, "Everyone is dead, aren't they?"

"Peggy lives in England, in a care home," he told her, "I visited her, but her memory's bad now. The howling commandos all passed, but they all had families, I've seen pictures of their children and grandchildren, they all had good lives Lex,"


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing except Alex

Chapter 5

She continued to stare into nothing as she processed the information he'd given her, he was beginning to think she's fallen asleep with her eyes open when a light tap on the med suite window glass made her jump. Steve looked over and saw the telltale red hair of his sometimes partner, Natasha Romanoff, he raised an eyebrow and she returned the gesture as well as holding up a plate with two slices of plain toast, Steve motioned for her to come in, she entered but stayed next to the door,

"I believe this would class as meals on wheels?" She asked, humor lacing her words, Steve grinned

"Lex, this is my partner, Natasha Romanoff, Nat this is Alexandra Domenichi," he said introducing the pair

"I've read a lot about you," Natasha started, knowing that there would be an awkward silence otherwise, at Alexandra's puzzled look she continued, "Your disappearance was always an open case at SHIELD, everyone knew about you and how vital you were to the project. Agent Carter and Howard Stark refused to close the file, they said it was to remain open until there were answers, no matter how long it took,"

Steve watched Alex as she listened to what Natasha had to say, never mind the fact that he was sure it was the most Natasha had said at once in the last year. Natasha placed the toast on the small table that wheeled over the bed, 

"Can you help me please Steve?" Alex asked as she attempted to move from her left side, in the end Steve gently lifted her and the set her back down so she'd be in a sitting position, Natasha having adjusted the bed whilst Steve was lifting. She picked up the toast and looked at it as if it was dangerous, Steve could see Janet watching from her desk as Alex took a small bit and chewed slowly, she hesitated before swallowing and then paused to see if anything would happen, nothing did. She managed less than half a slice before dropping it back to the plate, she placed her hand on her stomach,

"I don't think I can eat anymore," she admitted, "Can I go?"

"Lex," Steve chuckled, Janet walked over and inspected the plate,

"I'll make a compromise with you," she started, Alex looked at her blankly, "You need to stay in the Med Suite at night until you can control your temp and can eat a good size meal, but I will allow you out into the rest of the tower if you are accompanied and you keep the monitors and central line. Deal?"

"Yes," Alex replied after a moments thought

"Ok, let me go and sort out a bath and some clean clothes and then you can leave," Janet stated. Natasha watched a flash of panic wash over the girls face at the word bath, she had probably been tortured with water or even in a bath. 

"I have some clothes that will fit," she piped up, "No offense Doc, but med issued clothes are not that comfy,"

"Brilliant," Janet smiled, "Thank you,"

Alex watched as Janet and Natasha left the room, presumably to run the bath, she pushed down the panic that was rising in her chest, these people were good, if Steve trusted them then she knew they had to be ok, 

"I'd rather have a shower," she suggested,

"You're too weak," Janet answered as she came back, unhooking the IV but not removing the needle, "I don't want to have to treat you for broken ribs because your legs gave out,"

"Here you go," Natasha announced as she walked back in with the clothes, she could see the uncomfortable look on Alex's face and wondered how far she's let it go. She spent the next ten minutes in silence as Steve and Natasha spoke about how the weather was due to turn in the next few day, the first signs of autumn, 

"It's done," Janet called as she stuck her head around the door frame. Alex took a deep breath and pushed the blanket back, she managed to swing her legs to the side of the bed and moved to stand, as she did her legs gave out and only Steve's quick reflexes saved her from hitting the floor,

"I really don't think this is a good idea," Steve told her as he picked her up bridal style, she simply poked him in reply,

"March captain," Natasha joked, he walked into the large bathroom and placed Alex on the small seat that was next to the bath. 

"I'll, er, leave you to it," he said with a small blush before leaving the room, Janet chuckled as she entered the room with a small metal tray and some gauze,

"I'm going to pull your hand IV, OK?"

"Sure," she replied quietly, Natasha moved closer just in case she was to fall from the chair. She watched as Janet swiftly undid the tape holding it in place before pulling the needle and covering it with the gauze. Natasha could see her breathing getting quicker as she realised there was nothing else left apart from the bath, "is it hot?"

"Let me see," Tash replied as she put her hand in swirled it round, she saw Alex relax ever so slightly, she must have been tortured with hot water, she filed that bit of info away for reference, "It's pleasant, not very hot,"

"Ok,"

"You ready?" Janet asked, Alex began to panic again, Tasha raised her hand signalling Janet to hold back, she knelt down next to Alex, so they were face to face,

"Want me to stay and help instead?"

"Doctor's are bad," Alex told her in Russian, Natasha paused for a second,

"Not all, I think she's quite nice. Tony wouldn't have hired her if she was bad," she replied. Janet hadn't moved, figuring out this was important to Alex. Tasha turned to Janet and effectively dismissed her, "I'll stay,"

"Ok, I'll be out in the main suite if you need anything,"

Tasha nodded and waited for her to leave and close the door behind her. She then helped Alex to her feet and held her while she steadied herself, she helped her undress and step into the water, she could quite easily see the damage that had been inflicted on Alex over the years, it was all over her skin, the silvery white of scar tissue catching on the light. She had several scars across her ribs and one further down her abdomen that looked like it could have been a stab wound, there was a bullet wound scar on her shoulder, Natasha had one that practically matched that was still healing, and there were faint crisis cross scars on her back, something that Natasha hadn't seen for a very long time but knew that they would have been inflicted by a whip. She let Alex settle in the water before handing her the washcloth full of body wash,

"It's a neutral wash, it shouldn't sting," she told her, Alex simply nodded and began to wash herself, Tahsa ended up sitting on the floor next to the bath, so she could keep eye level with Alex, she passed her items as and when she needed them, when it came to her hair, Natasha stood up and brought back a different bottle, "Let me help," she offered and she used a small jug to carefully pour water water over Alex's hair, once it was wet, she poured a blue liquid from the bottle and began rubbing it into her hair, she sat there for 5 minutes with Alex working out all the knots until it was smooth and tangle free, she rinsed it out and waited to see if the bath had done their newest charge any good,

"Did SHEILD fall? Is that why the soldiers left?" She asked quietly 

"Yes," Tasha replied immediately, she wasn't going to lie about it, "HYDRA moved out of the shadows and it all fell, it's only because of that they found you,"

"I know," she spoke softly, "thank you for helping me,"

"Let's see if we can get you dressed first, I think Steve wants to show you round," Tasha replied. She helped Alex to her feet and wrapped a warm fluffy towel around her thin frame. She dressed her quickly so as not to let the cold seep in, she'd given her a pair of black yoga pants and a black long sleeved scoop neck t-shirt, knowing it would by easier if Dr Fraser needed to access the central line but would also keep her warm. She moved to stand beside Alex and towel dried her hair, she was careful to remain in her eye line so as not to scare her, but didn't think the hair dryer would be a good idea just yet. Now her hair was clean, Tasha could see it was black and had a natural soft curl to it that most people would kill for, it was also very thick and quite long, almost brushing her elbows.

"Thank you," Alex told her, she felt so much better already, just being clean was bliss. She managed to stand and with Natasha's help she walked out slowly into the main suite. Steve had been waiting impatiently for them to return, as he looked up he smiled, she looked more like the Alex he remembered, her face and hair the same, she was just skinnier, she was leaning heavily on Tasha's arm, with Tasha's free arm wrapped around Alex's back, Alex's other arm was pressed to her ribs, she was probably uncomfortable from all the movement,

"Better?" He asked

"So much, I feel clean," she smiled, "So, where are you taking me?"

"How about the lounge?" Steve suggested, "It's got great views,"

"Sure," she replied, she trusted Steve wouldn't allow her to get hurt.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing except Alex

Alex moved to walk towards Steve, but her right leg buckled from under her, her hip protesting, only Natasha's grasp stopped her from hitting the floor,

"Easy," Steve called as he rushed over and helped to slowly lower her to the floor,

"She's not going to let me out now," Alex stated sadly, looking over at Janet's office, waiting for her to appear,

"Quickly, put your arms around my neck," he instructed quietly, she did as she was asked as Steve carefully lifted her into his arms bridal style and quickly made his way to the elevator, Natasha behind him,

"So, why the lounge?" Alex asked as they started moving upwards 

"Like I said, there's really great views, but it's social too," Steve replied. Natasha could see the look of fear flash over her face,

"Jarvis, who's in the lounge?" She asked,

"Mr Barton is currently alone,"

"That's Natasha's partner," Steve whispered, he felt her relax against him, not having noticed the tension that had crept into her body. The doors finally opened and the trio moved out into the spacious open plan lounge to find Clint sitting on one of the sofas watching the tv, he looked over as they came in,

"Hey!" He smiled as he moved to get up, he caught Natasha's eyes and saw the barely noticeable shake of her head, he changed his movement, instead simply changing position

"Barton, this is Alexandra Domenichi, Lex, this is Clint Barton," Steve said introducing them as he carefully placed Alex on another of the sofas, she leant against the arm with her legs stretched in front of her,

"Call me Clint, or Hawkeye," he said casually hoping to put the young woman at ease. 

"Alex,"

"Did you catch the game?" He asked looking at Steve, as they chatted about some sporting event, Alex took the opportunity to look around and study the others in the room. She looked over as Natasha had sat down next to Barton and seemed completely at ease, they sat with their knees touching and she began to eat from his plate of what looked like nuts.

"Can you show me what happened to SHIELD?" Alex asked Natasha, as soon as she spoke the boys stopped and looked at her,

"It's not pretty," Clint stated, 

"I need to see," she replied, stressing the word need. 

"Jarvis, please can you show the reports from the bridge and everything leading up to the fall," 

"Certainly," 

The TV changed to news reports and the four watched in silence as it started on the bridge, a traffic reporter in a helicopter having caught everything that happened. The cars were swerving in and out of each other recklessly until the camera focused on the lone figure standing in the middle of the lane. Alex leaned forward slightly to get a better view of the figure and watched as he caused the car to flip and the remaining three occupants were tossed from the vehicle. She watched as the man began to shoot at them, Steve was thrown off the bridge and into a bus, Natasha jumped off the bridge and the third person with them had disappeared also. She began to panic when she saw the figure remove the goggles Natasha had clipped, she tried to push down the feeling of panic as she continued to watch. After 5 minutes, she'd seen Natasha shot, and was now watching Steve fight hand to hand with the man. As Steve flipped him and his mask fell off, she couldn't contain her panic any longer, the group were focused on the news report watchdog to see what had happened after they'd been 'arrested' 

"Captain Rogers," Jarvis interrupted, "I believe your guest is suffering a panic attack,"

At those words the trio turned and saw Alex fighting to draw breath, her eyes darting around the room trying to find an exit, some way to make herself safe again, Steve looked at Natasha with growing panic of his own,

"Head between her legs? That's the panic attack thing, right?"

"Her ribs," Natasha replied vetoing the idea immediately, before they could move, Clint was up and pulling the cushions out from behind Alex's back, there was just enough room for him to slip in behind her and he pulled her towards him so his chest was flush with her back, as she began to panic more from having someone behind her, Clint began to speak softly,

"Can you feel my breathing? I need you try and take a deep breath, can you?"

The elevator doors opened and Janet appeared with a tablet and a needle, she was looking and the readings on the tablet when she saw Clint attempting to calm her. Steve moved in front of her and took her hand,

"It's, him," she managed to gasp out, "Winter,"

"Shh," Clint replied, "slow and steady breaths,"

Janet watched as Barton managed to get Alex's breathing under control, she motioned Natasha over to her and handed her the needle,

"There's a fast acting sedative in there, use it if you have to and bring her back to the med suite, if we take her now, she'll just panic more," Janet explained, Natasha nodded her understanding before pocketing the needle. Janet left the room and Natasha turned back to the other occupants. Clint was still behind Alex, hand gently resting on her upper arm, a technique commonly used to ground people, Steve was still knelt in front of her, holding her hands and speaking softly to her. Tasha walked over and sat on the coffee table facing the trio,

"The winter soldier," she whispered, looking at Steve, tears running down her face, "It's Bucky,"

"I know Lex," he replied sadly, "I know,"

"They made me fight him," she sobbed, her hand coming up to press against her damaged ribs, "In Russia, they did something to him, he didn't know me and they made us fight,"

"It's ok Lex, we'll get him back,"

"I tried to make him see me!" She cried, her eyes becoming heavy, Steve stood up and with Clints help, they lowered her so she was lying on the sofa, Tasha moved to get a blanket and swiftly emptied the contents of the needle into Alex's central line, her body relaxed and her breathing slowed into sleep. Steve sat back and sighed heavily, Clint and Natasha looked at each other, they knew how difficult this would be going forward,

"Steve," Clint started, "What are you going to do with her?"

"What do you mean?" 

"She's been a POW for 70 years! You can see she's got major post traumatic stress," he explained, "Her recovery could take years or it could never happen,"

"I think you need to help her recovery physically first, she'll be able to tackle her mental recovery better when she doesn't feel physically vulnerable," Natasha added,

"Will you help me?" He asked, almost pleading, "She's all I've got of my life before,"

"Of course Steve," Natasha answered as Clint nodded his agreement. Steve scooped Alex up into his arms and returned her to the med suite. 

The next three weeks were spent building up Alex's strength and trying to get her back to a healthy weight. Janet had brought in a physical therapist to help her rebuild muscles and to work on her core, she still spent her nights in the med suite but was now eating normally and appeared to sleep for 6-7 hours per night. 

"Morning," Janet called as she entered at 0800

"Morning," Alex replied around mouthfuls of breakfast, this morning it seemed to be oatmeal, Barton had been introducing Alex to many of the different foods that had appeared in the last seventy years, yesterday morning had been lucky charms.

"I think you're ready to loose that central line," Janet said with a smile, Alex paused, spoon halfway to her mouth,

"Really?"

"Hop up," Janet replied motioning to the bed, Alex abandoned her meal and sat within Janet's reach, she tensed slightly as Janet approached, but sat still while the petit doctor untaped and pulled out the central one from her collar, she put the used needle in the small metal tray and placed a dressing over the lightly bleeding wound, "Mr Stark has assigned you an apartment, it's the floor in between Mr Barton and Miss Romanoff,"

"Wow," she whispered 

"You don't have to sleep in the med suite any longer, although I will be staying in the tower for the next week or so just to make sure you're ok," Janet informed her as she cleaned up,

"Thank you for everything Janet," Alex told her gratefully, Janet turned and smiled at her,

"You don't have to thank me Alex,"

"Still, I am grateful," Alex told her. She picked up her bowl and made her way up to the lounge area, she found Clint and Nat already at the bar area,

"Hey!" Clint called, he spotted her free collar first, "No line!"

"Apparently I am released from the med suite," she smiled

"That's great," Nat replied

"Have you seen Steve?" She asked as she picked up an apple from the never ending supply of fruit that would dotted around the tower,

"Out running I think," Clint mumbled as he ate his toast,

"Was," Steve replied as he entered and helped himself to a bottle of water, 

"Steve, I need to talk to you," Alex stated seriously, he looked up with worried eyes, "I know you want to go and find Bucky,"

"Lex, I'm staying here to help you,"

"I can see you're restless, and I know you're looking for Bucky with Sam. Please go and find him," she explained, "I'm safe here, as you keep telling me,"

"I feel like I'm abandoning you Lex,"

"I will be fine here,"

"Nat and I will stay with her Cap," Barton offered up. He sat there and contemplated what they had said,

"Are you sure?" He asked again

"Find him Steve," 

"Ok. I have a lead in Europe, I'll call Sam. We can leave this afternoon," he replied. The four continued eating in silence, it was several hours later that they said goodbye to Steve, Alex continued to watch from the lobby until she couldn't see his car anymore,

"He'll be fine," Came a voice, she turned and saw Tony waiting next to the elevator, he pressed the button and held the door for her, she stepped in and they travelled back up to the floors reserved for the avengers.

"I haven't had a chance to thank you Mr Stark," Alex began,

"Please, it's Tony," he insisted, "You don't have to thank me,"

"You saved my life with the care you've given me," she reasoned

"What happened to you was wrong on so many levels. I was captured for three months and it nearly killed me, physically and mentally, I don't know how you survived 70 years," he admitted, she studied him for a moment, Tony Stark was not known for being serious and reflecting,

"I don't know," she told him softly,


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing except for Alex

The elevator opened and they entered the lounge again and Tony slipped back into his loud, annoying persona. Alex moved next to Natasha and leaned in,

"Will you help me train?" She asked, "I want to get back up to what I should be,"

"Of course, when do you want to start?"

"Now?"

"Let's go, meet you there in 10," Tasha replied. Alex grinned and headed to the floor that Tony had designated hers. Jarvis opened the door for her and she stepped in, looking around. There were hardwood floors throughout, a beautiful oak from the look of it, the walls had been painted a tasteful ivory and in the living section to the left of the front entrance, there was a feature wall covered in a lilac damask wallpaper, the centre of the wall had a fire place with a wood burning stove, above the mantle there was a large flat screen tv mounted to the wall. There was a large leather sofa facing the fireplace and two overstuffed leather chairs one each side facing inwards with a glass coffee table in the centre, there was also a fluffy cream rug on the floor. The side of the room was covered with floor to ceiling Windows that looked out towards the Empire State Building and midtown. There was a beautiful modern kitchen fitted in the far left corner of the room making a gigantic open plan room, it was black counter tops and bright white cupboards with more appliances than she knew what to do with. There was an island in the middle with bar stools for seating, a huge vase of white lilies sat in the middle.

She moved to the right and found a small study, filled with bookcases and a tasteful desk. The room behind was the bedroom, it was massive, bigger than her whole first apartment put together. There was matching oak furniture two bedside tables with a luxurious queen size bed nestled in between and a vanity on the east side. The room itself was also Ivory, this time with hints of blue throughout, it reminded Alex of the colour of forget me nots. The bed linen was tinted with blues and there was tasteful art on the wall. There were two doors in the room, one to the left of the room and one on the southern wall, she opened the southern one first and a light came on automatically, it was a walk in closet, there were a few pieces inside and several pairs of shoes. On one of the empty shelves was a note,

'I will help you fill this when you are ready, Pepper' 

She smiled at the generosity of Tony's girlfriend. She picked up the workout clothes and a pair of sneakers. She walked out and shut the door, she placed the items on the bed before investigating the last door. It opened into a bright, fresh feeling bathroom. The floor was black slate and the walls had been tilled in a large white. There was a walk in shower and a massive bathtub that had jets along the sides. The other side of the bathroom had a countertop that had to be at least eight foot with the same length of mirror above it, there was a sink in the middle and various beauty products and supplies on the side. There were white fluffy towels hanging from a heated towel rail and a small bin on the floor. She moved back out into the bedroom and quickly changed, she walked into the gym, seconds after Natasha,

"Do you like your floor?"

"It's stunning," she gushed, "I've never had anything so beautiful,"

"Pepper is very talented at interior design," Nat smiled, "So what do you want to work on?"

"I need to increase my stamina, I have been working out lightly for the last week, but I can't maintain the level of activity," she explained. Natasha nodded as she spoke, "I have the muscle memory, I used to run my routine in my head nearly everyday,"

"I can teach you exercises that will increase your stamina but it will take time," Nat told her,

"Great,"

The two spent the next twenty minutes working out, Natasha didn't want to push her too hard but could see she was more than ready for this, Barton had slipped in at some point and was cleaning his bow in the corner. The girls stopped and walked over to take the water he offered,

"Looking good Alex," he complimented, "You recover quick,"

"It's part of the regenerative properties I have, it's why they used to keep me starved," she admitted softly. Clint stiffened slightly, he had suffered at the hands of his father when he was younger and felt for the agent,

"What about weapons training?" He asked

"What do you have in mind?" 

"I can teach you the bow? It will build your muscles too," he offered. "Jarvis, can we have some targets please?"

They watched as several archery targets appeared from the floor, approximately 50m from where they were standing at the opposite end of the gym.

"May I?" Alex asked holding her hands out, Clint handed her the bow and she tested its weight in her hand, she reached over and picked out an arrow, she stepped up and to Natasha and Clint's surprise drew the bow in perfect stance before loosing the arrow into the centre of the target,

"No way!" Clint exclaimed as he leapt up excitedly, Alex turned back to the pair and grinned,

"I guess you didn't read the sniper part of my file,"

"I don't think anyone got past the DOB to be honest," Natasha joked, Clint chuckled. "Do you want to continue?"

"Maybe for a few minutes," Alex told her as she handed the bow back to Clint and moved back to the mats.


End file.
